Who would've thought? Little House on the Prairie is actually good.
I had an unfortunate stomach bug this past weekend. While confined to my bed I sought the perfect TV show to help me recover. Reality shows seemed to jarring, Food Network was out of the question and a movie always takes too much commitment. Usually I would turn to something brainless like Roseanne or PBS, but I decided, for a reason only God knows, to stop on Little House on the Prairie on the Lifetime network.
Let me give you a little background:
- My mother always did a unit with her classes on Little House and she would go to the local butcher and collect pig bladders. She would blow them up with a bicycle tire pump, seal them off with a rubber band and let her kids play with them. They apparently do this in the book. This always confused/intrigued me as a child.
- The overall "brownness" of the show turns me off. I am not referring to any race theme or particular color theorum, but the actual way the show looks on TV. It looks brown. It, along with most shows of the 70s, have a certain sepia tone that I find unappealing. I have a natural aversion to "brown" shows like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Three's Company, or any other show made in the 70's. I think as a child born in the 80's, "old shows" have a certain look, a certain fuzziness that I find appealing. Shows made in the 70s, for some reason, are all brown. I have a visceral to this color scheme that I am trying to change.
- I have had no previous interest in the prairie.
- I, and most of the viewing public, enjoy period pieces.
- I remember being young and my grandmother crying when Michael Landon died. (She also cried for JFK, Jr., 9/11, and the last episode of Cheers.)
These are all of my conscious thoughts on Little House on the Prairie.
These being stated, I found myself watching. I also found myself delightfully surprised. What a breath of fresh air! Not only was the show heart-warming and interesting, it was also funny and, relatively speaking, well-made.
I found myself watching 3 hours of this show. I can't wait for more.
I will keep you posted on how this pans out.
